Folding car-step.



No. 734,320. .PATENTED JULY 21, 190s.

J. P." GRIKA.

FOLDING UAR STEP.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 2. 1903.

No MODEL. v

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UNITED STATES Patented .my 21, 190s.

PATENT OEEICE.

JOSEPH F. GEIKA, E LENEXA, KANSAS.

Y FOLDING CAR-STEP.

sPncrFroArioN forming pere ef Lettere Patent No. 734,320, detect July21, 1903. Appneeees'viea Mey 2,1903. serai No. 155,372. (remodel.)

`To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH F. GRIKA, a citi` zen of the United States,residing at Lenexa, in the county of Johnson and State of Kansas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Folding Car-Steps, of which thefollowing is a specification. y

My invention relates to new and useful irnprovements in foldingcar-steps; and its object is to provide a simple device which may bereadily attached to a car and which is inexpensive and durable andlby`means of which the step may be readily thrown into or out ofoperative position.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated inthe accompanying dra-wings, in which- Figure 1 is a section through ,thesteps of a car and showing my improved step-operating mechanism. Fig. 2is a detail view of the operating-shaft of the mechanism, and Fig. 3 isan inner elevation of the hanger and support for the folding step.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, l 1 are the steps ofthe car, Which-arel fastened to the platform `2 in any suitable manner.To the under surface of the lower step 1 are fastened strips 3, to theforward end .of each of which is pivoted ahanger 4. These car-hangersare connected at their lower ends by a rod 5, upon which are mountedbrackets 6, which extend under and are secured to the folding orauxiliary step 7.

An aperture 8 is formed within the platform 2 at a point in rear of thestep 1, and the end walls of this aperture are tapered and form bearingsfor inclined arms 9, which are connected at their lower ends by parallelcross-strips 10. These strips are integral with the arms 9, and saidarms are also integral with a rack 11. Integral ears'12 extendlongitudinally from the ends of the rack and are adapted to be fastenedupon the platform in any suitable manner. J ournaled to the cross-strips10 is a gear 13, which is integral With the lower end of' a lever 14,and a pawl is slidably mounted upon this lever and is adapted to beoperated in any suitable manner, so as to be raised out of engagementlines in Fig. 1.

with any one of the recesses in the rack. The pawl is held normally inengagement with vthe rack by a spring 16, secured to lever 14.

Brackets 17 are fastened to the platform 2 at opposite sides oftheaperture 8, and within these is journaled a shaft 18, having a gear 19at one end,which meshes with the gear 13.

An arm 20 extends downward from the shaft' project under thestep 7 andsu pport the same in a horizontal posi-tion.

It will be seen that by swinging the lever '14 in one direction the arm20 will be swung toward the steps, and the bar 2l will therefore throwthe hangerlldownward into the position illustrated in Fig. 1.l Thismovement ofthe parts will brin gstep 7 into operative position.Byreversing the movement of lever 14 the parts will be moved in theopposite direction and into position illustrated by dotted -By formingAthe rack 1l, vears-12, arms 9, and cross-strips 1() in a singlecastingthe cost of the device is reduced to the minimum anddisplacementand loss of various portions thereof is prevented. y

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form ofmyinvention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware thatmodifications may be made therein without departing from the 'spirit orsacrificing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right tomake such changes and altera-` tions as may suggest themselves from timeto time as may fairly fall within the scope of my invention. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with the platform of a carv having an aperture thereinand steps extending from the platform; of arms projecting into theaperture, cross-strips connecting the same, a rack arched over the arms,said rack, arms and cross-stri ps being formed in a single ICO casting,a gear journaled between the eross- I said bar having aforwardly-projecting arm no strips, a hanger extending therefrom andadapted to support the auxiliary step.

adapted to be looked tothe rack, a shaft jour- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature naled beloT the platform, a gear thereon in presenceof two witnesses.

5 meshing with the gear of the lever, an arm v extending from the shaft,a hanger pivoted JOSEPH F' GRIRA to one of the steps, an auxiliary steppivoted Witnesses: to the hanger and a bar pivoted at opposite JACOB O.STEVENS,

ends to the hanger and the arms of the shaft, GEO. I-IOFER.

